Order PRISTIFORMES

Common name: Sawfishes
Summary:

The order Pristiformes contains a single family of large highly modified rays, the sawfishes of the family Pristidae. 

Sawfishes are some of the most endangered elasmobranchs (sharks, rays and chimaeras) on earth. 

A recent study (Faria et al. 2012) showed that the family contains five species in two genera. Four species in two genera are found in Australian waters.

Author: Bray, D.J.2017
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J.2017, Sawfishes, PRISTIFORMES in Fishes of Australia, accessed 18 Jan 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/order/38

Order References

Dulvy, N.K., Davidson, L.N., Kyne, P., Simpfendorfer, C.A., Harrison, L.R., Carlson, J.K., & Fordham, S.V. 2014. Ghosts of the coast: global extinction risk and conservation of sawfishes. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. PDF Abstract

Faria V (2007) Taxonomic review, phylogeny, and geographical population structure of the sawfishes (Chondrichthyes, Pristiformes). PhD Dissertation, Iowa State University, USA

Faria VV, McDavitt MT, Charvet P, Wiley TR, Simpfendorfer CA and Naylor GJP (2012) Species delineation and global population strusture of Critically Endangered sawfishes (Pristidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 167: 136–164.

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. 2nd edition. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 644 pp. 91 pls figs

Last, P.R., White, W.T. & Naylor, G.J.P. 2016. 8. Sawfishes. Family Pristidae, pp. 58-64. In: Last, P.R., White, W.T., Carvalho, M.R. de, Séret, B., Stehmann, M.F.W. & Naylor, G.J.P. (eds.) Rays of the World. Clayton South, Victoria : CSIRO Publishing 790 pp.

Nelson, J.S. 2006. Fishes of the World. New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons 601pp.

Wueringer, B.E. 2012. Electroreception in Elasmobranchs: Sawfish as a Case Study. Brain Behav Evol 80: 97-107